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Floyd reunion was surprise, Mason admits

Onstage appearance by all three surviving members had never been confirmed, says drummer Nick – admits they were all nervous

Surprise: Mason, Waters and Gilmour onstage

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason says the onstage reunion of the three surviving members had never been confirmed to him – so it was a surprise when he arrived to see Roger Waters’ The Wall show to find Dave Gilmour also present.

The trio delighted fans when the unannounced gathering took place in London this week. Gilmour played guitar during Comfortably Numb and all three jammed on Outside the Wall.

Mason tells Rolling Stone: “It hadn’t even been quite finalised. There had been talk about maybe playing in Paris of something else. It was very nice to get there and see David was there.

“It was really nice to be part of it. It was a mutual thing: it was nice to be recognised and nice to lend support to Roger, and make it clear we’re not punching each other out, we’re not critical of him doing it.”

The drummer says there were a few nerve-wracking moments during the evening. “We were all just a little bit nervous at the pre-show moment, so it wasn’t totally relaxed and ‘let’s all chat about everything’.

“David hadn’t played the track in so long, and he was probably worried about the technology of lifting him up onto the wall. It’s quite scary up there – I’ve been up once and it’s a long way up.”

Mason was only invited to jam on tambourine at the encore about half an hour before the show began, and recalls Waters throwing his arm around him and swaying: “He very nearly knocked me over – I thought he was going to throw me off the stage.”

He’s impressed by the twenty-first century stage set after having seen it for the first time and remarks: “It was mind-blowingly good. It’s a shame – if you could have had access to that technology 40 or 30 years ago, it would have been fantastic. It so eclipses what we used to do.”

And despite Waters’ hints about retiring after the world tour is complete, a final official reunion remains in doubt. “I think, particularly at the moment, David has other issues to worry about. We’ll just have to wait quietly to see if he ever comes around to it. I think there’s an outside possibility.”

Comments

I’ll give kudos to the remaining living members “Pink Floyd” for this quickie for old time’s sake.
They all look worse for wear but then again they are up there in age eh?
Too bad so many of these classic musicians settle their differences and reconvene when they are in their 50’s or 60’s. Most of the time they look like they belong on a porch swing with a cold lemon ice tea in hand and croquet needle and yarn in lap.
These guys have let 20-30 years slip past when they could have been making some meaningful and exciting music together rather than sporadically apart

Makes me think immediately of what you’ve just said about Guns n’Roses… There’s enough evidence, band after band, for people to realise they’re likely to outgrow their negative feelings… We should probably all take note!